


an indentation the shape of you

by buntaengi (inksmudge)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, chef jaemin, jaemin is baek jong won but younger and very much single, jeno is ... sad, manager doyoung, solo idol jeno
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26299921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inksmudge/pseuds/buntaengi
Summary: Jeno's career is bigger than big, but he's still finding for something. Maybe he'll find it in a restaurant.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. seaweed soup

Jeno is _tired_. 

His three-hour long concert has just ended, which also marks his year long world tour to its finale. Meeting fans has always been a great source of strength for him, and seeing them sing his songs and jump in excitement as he rocks the stage is a major adrenaline boost that powers him through the day. The echoes of their screams still ring in his ears, and the arena glowing with beautiful lights still appears as he closes his eyes. He's sitting in the make-up chair, the staff hovering around buzzing in excitement for their wrap-up dinner, the back-up dancers taking selfies and he's checking the reactions on his social media. 

> **annaoop** @jenoisking
> 
> 'Roses' TOUR ABSO-EFFIN-LUTELY AMAZING !! JENO JUST PROVED HE'S THE ARTIST OF THE YEAR !!! #RosesTour2020 #OurPrideJeno
> 
> **JENOLEECHARTS** @jenocharts
> 
> 'Roses' Tour wrapped up in KSPO Dome with 24,000 attendees in two days and overall attendance of 298,000, breaking the record for a male solo artist. #RosesTour2020 #OurPrideJeno
> 
> **ella** @jenoist323
> 
> JENO JUST BROKE RECORDS LEFT AND RIGHT WITH HIS LAST ALBUM AND NOW HIS TOUR BROKE RECORDS !! NO WORDS JUST PRIDE #RosesTour2020 #OurPrideJeno
> 
> **Snoopi** @Snoopi
> 
> #NCT127's #Haechan Suffers Minor Ankle Injury _soompi.com/article/0825/vofje0813_
> 
> **Clouds**. @HeavenIsJen
> 
> 200913 Roses Tour Preview #Jeno #제노
> 
> **jenopics** @jenopics
> 
> Jeno successfully wrapped up Roses Tour. We are so proud of you. ♡︎ You deserve it, Jeno. #RosesTour2020 #OurPrideJeno

He startles a little as his manager taps him on the shoulder. "You did a great job, Jeno," Doyoung hyung has always been there with him since day one. "Come, the team is excited to splurge with the company's credit card," he says with a chuckle. Jeno gives him a glance and then turns back to his phone. Being his manager for years, Doyoung has long memorized how Jeno is to know something is off. 

"Come on, Jen. You have all week to rest and recover from this tour, but for now, dinner. Okay?" Jeno replies with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, hyung. Job well done, too." He grabs his bag, pockets his phone and fixes his hair a little to wave goodbye for fans waiting outside. The team is quite boisterous as they walk the corridor and Doyoung matches Jeno's pace to guide him towards the car. Despite the fatigue in his system, Jeno smiles and poses and waves, showing the banner the fans raised during his encore. 

It's a different story inside the car, though. He drops the cheery persona and as Doyoung climbs to the passenger seat, Jeno lets out a deep sigh, startling both him and the company driver. They head to a restaurant reserved for the team's company dinner, and Doyoung sends a worried glance through the rear view mirror to Jeno, who chose to lean by the mirror and stare at the sky. Something is troubling him, and Doyoung needs to know why. 

The car pulls up to a restaurant owned by a famous celebrity chef. Jeno remembers watching his late night program on Fridays he's free from any schedule, or on days he comes home to his family in Incheon. They settle on a table with the director of his concert, the head choreographer and Jeno's styling team. They're Jeno's second family, older brothers and sisters, his constant companions during his promotions for five years now. The crew is buzzing in happiness and sharing drinks, yet Jeno keeps on glancing at his phone as if waiting for something. 

As the dinner is served by the restaurant staff, one of the executives of Jeno's company claps to gather attention and he raises a glass, "Congratulations, our Jeno, for finishing this tour successfully. Let's continue in this pace and reach greater heights! You did well, our Jeno!" The crew whoops and whistles at that. "And to everyone, goob job, too. Enjoy these dishes especially prepared by Chef Na and let's drink to our heart's content. Cheers!" 

Food is shared, stories are told. The crew is loud and excited, and Chef Na smiles at his station, gently sending instructions to the staff and double-checking food before it gets served. The star of the night, however, is a little distracted and is less enthusiastic compared to the rest. 

_This won't do_. Jaemin thinks to himself. He's been known and recognized for his cooking not just because of his incomparable skills in plating or him making satisfying meals even with limited ingredients, but being able to capture the taste of home and comfort, a major point that earned him a large following of mom fans who want him as in-law and branches of his restaurant across the country. 

With a quick _Laver_ search, he collects all the ingredients for a seaweed soup and starts cooking the dish. Most of his staff are taking a break after serving most of the dishes, so the station is all to himself. After it gets cooked, Jaemin plates the dish and prepares to serve it personally to Jeno. 

Most of the crew on Jeno's table are talking to themselves, and Doyoung is nowhere to be found (presumably by the comfort room), so Jaemin goes straight to where Jeno sits. 

"Hello, Jeno-ssi. I am Chef Jaemin, the owner of this restaurant. Congratulations on your tour," he says with a gentle smile. Jeno then bows and says, "Hello, too, Chef Jaemin-ssi. Thank you, the food is really great." 

Jaemin beams at that. "Wow, thank you for the kind words. I learned seaweed soup is your favorite dish, and although I'm not your mom, I hope you'll still enjoy this." Jeno thanks him with a smile, "Oh, wow. Thank you very much, I appreciate it a lot." 

Jaemin returns to his station and sees Jeno start to dig in the food. Doyoung returns to his seat and asks him where the dish came from. Jeno mumbles a "special menu" in between bites, and Jaemin's heart swells to see him eat better now than earlier. He finishes the dish and the dinner concludes, the staff and crew greeting him as he enters their car heading home. He's no longer checking his phone every minute, Doyoung notes, and he looks lighter than he was after finishing the concert. 

Jeno enters the code to his apartment, pitch black and cold. He washes off his make-up, changes to a gray sweatpants and a thin black shirt, drags his feet towards the bed, and stares at the ceiling. He's thankful for the fame, the fans, the support they've given throughout his career, and he's living his dreams. He's at the top. Alone. With no one to share the fleeting feeling. With no one to come home to. With no one to hold his hand. 

Jeno is _lonely_. 


	2. cheonggukjang

The ray of sunlight seeping through a small gap on Jeno's bedroom curtains is what wakes him up. His muscles and back are screaming at him, and his throat feels like a desert. He tries to shift in his bed, get some more sleep and his long needed rest, but does otherwise. 

He takes a cold shower, grabs an apple in his fridge, and wears his coat. He rides a taxi towards the company, and sends a text to Doyoung along the way. 

For years, Jeno never really strayed too far from the practice rooms. He dances and practices any choreography he can, polishing every step and imprinting on his memory. Time flies fast when he's inside the practice rooms. He's on the last verse of his most recent release when it suddenly stops. Doyoung is looking at him tiredly through the mirrors, and Jeno smiles sheepishly at him. 

"Seriously, Jeno. Do you know the word 'rest'? I already had a hunch you'll practice non-stop again and forget to eat. It's already lunch time and you sent that message at 8am." 

Jeno pats his face with a towel and waves the core of the apple he finished for breakfast, which Doyoung just glares at. 

"That's not a proper meal, Jeno." 

He's about to make a point when the door suddenly opens, interrupting their conversation. 

"Jen? You there, bro?" 

Jeno's long-time friend and producer Mark Lee's voice resonates in the room and Jeno finds his excuse. "See, hyung! I called Mark hyung to have lunch with him!"

Mark then notices Doyoung. "Doyoung hyung, do you wanna eat lunch with us, too?" 

Doyoung shakes his head and moves ahead, "I still have things to do, I just checked up on Jeno in case he's overworking again, but have fun." 

"Yeah, alright. Do you know Jaemin? He's at his restaurant right now, I texted him. I kinda want some soup or something," Mark distractedly taps his phone while waiting for Jeno to pack up his things.

"Oh, hyung? You personally know him?"

Mark hums. "Same uni. Let's go?" 

The distance from their company to the restaurant is a quick ten-minute walk, but they chose to ride Mark's car since somebody might recognize Jeno. Upon entering the restaurant, they were ushered to a more secluded part of the restaurant, away from curious eyes and gossiping ears. 

"Jaemin-ah!" Mark waves excitedly as Jaemin heads to their table. "Hyung, you're always so excited and loud, please tone down," Jaemin's nagging voice betrays his soft eyes, gesturing to a staff to take over what he was doing before. 

Jaemin halts a little and says, "Oh," as he recognizes who is with Mark. "Hello, Jeno-ssi. Didn't expect to see you so soon, did you like the soup last time?" 

For reasons unknown, Jeno's ear starts to burn. "Ah yes, Jaemin-ssi. The food was great, thank you very much. Mark hyung said he knows a very good restaurant for lunch so we're here." Jaemin turns to Mark to tease him, "Oooh, Mark hyung! No matter how much you gass me up I won't give you a discount! Pay in full!" Jeno laughs at that, and Jaemin raises his hand for a high-five. 

Mark makes a face. "You met today yet you're teaming up to tease me? What happened to Jeno-ssi and Jaemin-ssi earlier?"

Jeno's ear is burning more than ever, so Jaemin says, "No hyung, we met last night. Jeno-ssi, no Jeno, had his wrap-up dinner here and we're friends now. Right, Jeno?" He smiles and nods, still suppressing laughter from teasing Mark. Mark accepts defeat. "Alright, alright. Do you have kimchi-jiggae? I'll have that. What about you, Jeno?" 

"Uhm, do you have seaweed soup?" Jaemin shakes his head. "Sorry, Jeno. We've run out of seaweed soup. How about cheonggukjang? Is that okay?" 

"Sure, that's fine. Thank you, Chef Jaemin." 

Jaemin smiles and claps, "No worries, I cook the best cheonggukjang. See you guys later."

The staff serves them dishes and after four servings of rice, Mark and Jeno head out with full tummies. As Jeno settles their bill and Mark leaves for the comfort room, Jaemin makes his way to Jeno to tap him. 

"Hey, Jeno." Jaemin's smile feels like it has never left his face. Jeno bows a little and, "Ah, Jaemin. Hello." 

Jaemin tries to lighten up the situation by laughing. "Don't be very formal, Jeno. We're friends now, right? You're free to drop off anytime with or without Mark hyung, I'll cook your requested dish for you." 

Jeno beams at that. His mom sends care packages and containers of food, he has stashes of ramyeon and instant food in his fridge, but he can't deny that sometimes he craves for a home-cooked meal, and Jaemin's cooking hits very close to home. "Thank you, Jaemin. Your food is very delicious, I'll be sure to come back again." 

Jaemin nods, "Sure. Ah, but sometimes I'm not here, so in case you're dropping by you can send me a text so I can be here."

Jeno smiles and then hands his phone to Jaemin. "Oh, you can save here. Thank you, really." Jaemin saves his number as  **_jaemin_ ** **♡︎** and then Mark emerges from the bathroom. 

They bid goodbyes to Jaemin and his staff, and Mark drops off Jeno to his apartment to rest for the day. 

He changes to something comfortable, and he's settling on his couch to look for anything to watch on Metflix, scrolling on hundreds of options until he sees the program where Jaemin regularly appears. 

He remembers to send a text to Jaemin for him to save his number. For someone with his profession, Jeno is very shy in meeting new people. Jaemin has been nice to him in both encounters, and there is not a lot of awkward air around them. He appreciates a new friend, especially at this time. The apartment is still as cold, but he's feeling lighter than before. 

**_Unknown Number_ ** (3:01 pm)

Hey, Jaemin. It's Jeno! You can save my number.

owo owo hiiii jemooo

jenoooo 

why the caps and punctuation 😔 

arent we friends why so formal

**_jeno_ ** ♫︎(3:04 pm)

yes we're friends haha

i mean wouldn't it be weird if i just come barging when you still haven't saved my number

**_jaemin_ ** ♡︎ (3:04 pm) 

now that you say that 😅 

btw really, congrats on your tour 

u r pretty amazing 😳 

i listened to your songs 

wow

wow

**_jeno_ ** ♫︎(3:05 pm)

really? thank you 

i'm actually watching you 

**_jaemin_ ** ♡︎(3:05 pm)

jeno what

**_jeno_ ** ♫︎ (3:05 pm)

NO

i mean i'm watching a rerun of your show

**_jaemin_ ** ♡︎ (3:05 pm)

jeno-ya 😏

do you like me that much

wink wink nudge nudge 

**_jeno_ ** ♫︎(3:06 pm)

HA 

you are a prankster

you are a joker

**_jaemin_ ** ♡︎ (3:06 pm)

one day jeno lee

you'll admit you like me very much 😜

He snorts at that and places his phone at the coffee table. The rerun features the dish he's eaten earlier, cheonggukjang. He leans to the pillow and grabs the throw blanket on his lower body, and the low hum of the television lulls him to sleep. The apartment is still as cold, but today's a little warmer than the other days. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hi did u enjoy that hehe pls leave kudos/comment/bookmark or scream at me ♥️ have a good day ♥️


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